Saint Paulís Episcopal Church,
1926

415 College Avenue

In 1926-28, Mr. and Mrs. T. L. Malone built this church in memory of their son,
Gratz Moses Malone, who died at the tender age of nine years. Daphneís master
potter, Peter McAdam, was a dear friend of the boy and began crafting a
beautiful altar of clay for the church. Before the work was finished, Peter
McAdamís own son, eighteen-year-old Pete, died tragically in a diving accident
at the May Day pier. The church records show that young Pete was one of the
first to be baptized, one of the first to be confirmed and the first to be
buried at this small church. When the elegant altar was finished, fashioned
from such grief, it was dedicated to the memory of the potterís son. In 1976
when this congregation built a new church on Main Street and tried to move the
clay altar, it shattered into many pieces. In the 1920ís the Womenís Auxiliary
of Saint Paulís Episcopal Church held annual Spring Azalea Tour and Tea Benefits
when flowers were at their finest. Refreshments on the lawn followed elegant
walking tours of the magnificent antebellum bay front estates of the Leas,
Yuilles,
and Shonts.

The grounds of these estates were described with sculptured hedges, fountains,
profusions of azaleas, wisteria, camellias, and large oaks draped with graceful
silvery moss. As word of these delightful affairs spread, visitors came
from all over the South. This event was the forerunner of the annual
Azalea Trail Tour that began in Mobile in 1930.